Automated taping assemblies are employed in numerous types of packing facilities, such as order fulfilment centers and sortation centers, for example. In such facilities, items can be picked from inventory, conveyed through numerous means of mechanical conveyance to sortation stations, wherein the items are placed into packages, such as cardboard boxes, and the packages are thereafter conveyed to the automated taping assemblies. In high volume packaging facilities, un-planned downtime of a single automated taping assembly can result in significant costs.
Referring to FIG. 1, a taping device 2 for one such automated taping assembly includes a housing, or frame 4, that includes a mount 6 configured to carry a roll 7 of tape 8. In the embodiment illustrated, the taping device 2 is configured to dispense tape 8 with an adhesive side 10 and a non-adhesive side 12; although, in other embodiments, the taping device 2 can be configured to dispense dual-sided adhesive tape. The illustrated taping device 2 is an AccuGlide™ 2+ Standard Taping Device (STD) 3 Inch Lower Taping Head, produced by 3M Company Corporation (referred to herein as “3M”), located at Delaware 3M Center, 2501 Hudson Road, St. Paul, Minn., 55144. The foregoing taping device 2 is also referred to hereinafter as the “tape head.”
With continued reference to FIG. 1, the tape head 2 includes a plurality of rollers 14 that are configured to engage the tape 8 so as to convey the tape 8 from the mount 6 to an application roller 16 located at a dispensing region 18 of the tape head 2. The application roller 16 is carried by a first pair of arms 20 that are coupled to the frame 4 in a manner so as to be able to retract at least partially within the frame 4.
As also shown in FIG. 2, packages are configured to approach the tape head 2 in a direction of conveyance 22. The application roller 16 is configured to engage the adhesive side 10 of the tape 8 to a leading side of the package, and thereafter retract rearwards and downwards into the frame 4 as the package continues against the application roller 16 in the direction of conveyance 22. As described above, the application roller 16 can retract at least partially within the frame 4 responsive to pressure applied against the application roller 16 in the direction of conveyance 22 until a lower surface of the package is able to translate over the application roller 16. The application roller 16 is operatively coupled to a blade 24, a blade guard 26, and a second pair of arms 27 carrying a buffer roller 28 that is biased in a manner providing a secondary means of pressing the tape 8 against the lower surface of the package. After the trailing side of the package passes the application roller 16, the application roller 16 is released from retraction, triggering the blade 24 to cut the tape 8, after which the buffer roller 28 pivots upward to press the terminal portion of the tape 8 against at least a portion of the trailing side of the package. It is to be appreciated that the tape head 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be inverted and employed, with only minor modifications, as an “upper” tape head of an automated taping assembly. Those skilled in the art will recognize that an upper tape head can operate in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the lower tape head 2, with the exception that the upper tape head applies the tape 8 to an underside of the package. Thus, it is to be understood that the tape head 2 described herein can be employed as an upper or lower tape head.
The plurality of rollers 14 of the tape head 2 include a first or “tension-wrap” roller 31, a second or “one-way tension” roller 32, a third or “knurled” roller 33, and fourth or “wrap” roller 34, and the application roller 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the one-way tension roller 32 and the knurled roller 33 both engage the adhesive side of the tape. The one-way tension roller 32 can also have a knurled outer surface. The following disclosure will focus primarily on the knurled roller 33.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 through 5, the knurled roller 33 includes a roller body 36 that is rotatable about a central axis X. The roller body 36 defines opposed ends 37 and an outer surface 38 that extends between the ends 37. The outer surface 38 is knurled or otherwise textured to enhance engagement with the adhesive surface 10 of the tape 8. The roller body 36 also defines an inner surface 39 that defines a central bore 40 of the roller body 36. The knurled roller 33 includes a pair of end caps 41 coupled to the ends 37 of the roller body 36. The end caps 41 each include a first portion 42 that extends within the central bore 40 and a second portion 43 that defines a flange that abuts the associated end 37 of the roller body 36 when the knurled roller 33 is in an assembled configuration. The first portion 42 of each end cap 41 defines an outer surface 44 that is configured to fit snugly against the inner surface 39 of the roller body 36. Each end cap 41 also defines an inner surface 45 that defines a central bore 46 of the end cap 41. An axial outer end surface 47a of the flange 43 defines an axial outermost end of the end cap 41. An axial inner end surface 47b of the first portion 42 defines an axial innermost end of the end cap 41. When the knurled roller 33 is in the assembled configuration, the axial outermost ends 47a of the end caps 41 are spaced from each other in an axial direction A so as to provide a measure of clearance between the end surfaces 47 and the first pair of arms 20. The roller body 36 together with the end caps 41 are assigned 3M Part No. 78-8076-4737-1 in the publication entitled “Instruction and Parts List: 3M-Matic™ Accuglide™ 2+ Type 10500 Upper and Lower Standard Taping Heads 3 Inch,” having a publication date of April 2017 (this publication is referred to hereinafter as the “3M Instruction and Parts List”).
The knurled roller 33 includes a shaft 48 that is receivable within the central bore 40 of the roller body 36 and the central bores 46 of the end caps 41. The shaft 48 defines opposed ends 49 and an outer surface 50 that extends between the ends 49. The outer surface 50 defines a first diameter D1 of about 10 mm (about 0.394 inch). The ends 49 of the shaft 48 each define recesses 52 for keyed engagement with corresponding keyed slots formed in the first pair of arms 20. In this manner, the shaft 48 is locked against rotation relative to the first pair of arms 20 while the roller body 36 rotates around the shaft 48. The inner surfaces 45 of the end caps 41 can effectively define a bearing surface against the outer surface 50 of the shaft 48 so that the roller body 36 and the end caps 41 can rotate in unison about the shaft 48 during operation. Additionally, the shaft 48 is sized so that an axially outward facing surface 53 of each recess 52 is positioned at least flush with, and preferably marginally outward from, the axial outer end surface 47 of the associated end cap 41 when the knurled roller 33 is in the assembled configuration. This provides the clearance between the end caps 41 and the first pair of arms 20. The shaft 48 is assigned 3M Part No. 78-8076-4736-3 in the 3M Instruction and Parts List.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the knurled roller 33 includes a leaf spring 54 disposed within the central bore 40 between the outer surface 50 of the shaft 48 and the inner surface 39 of the roller body 36. The leaf spring 54 is configured to provide a predetermined amount of rotational resistance between the roller body 36 and the shaft 48. This predetermined amount of rotational resistance is critical to operation of the tape head 2. If the leaf spring 54 fails to provide the predetermined amount of rotational resistance, the tape head 2 will not apply tape 8 correctly to the packages. These taping errors require the tape head 2 to be shut down for servicing, repair, or replacement. In high volume taping lines, such as those disclosed in an order fulfillment center, the downtime of the tape head 2 can quickly result in substantial losses in operating costs.